Committee Meeting Dates are available at https://www.tesd.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=242 Old Meeting Agendas and Minutes are available at: https://www.tesd.net/Page/14793 For agendas and minutes see: https://www.tesd.net/Page/241

Senator Toomey’s First Term Ends in 2016-Is he working to help Pennsylvania families?

ABLE Legislation

Philadelphia Inquirer on 21 Dec Description of the Act from Bob Casey who was a sponsor of the bill

DelVal Legislators and their vote

Last Tuesday night in the Senate we passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. The ABLE Act will allow families who have a child with a disability to save for their long-term care through tax-advantaged savings accounts. Senator Burr and I worked hard to make sure that this bill passed with broad bipartisan support. It passed 76 to 16. The Associated Press wrote that ABLE is “the most sweeping legislation to help [people with disabilities] in a quarter century (AP, 12/16/14).”

This effort was a grassroots victory — families, advocates for individuals with disabilities, combined with Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate — achieved during a Congress said to be the least productive in American history. One of those great advocates was Sara Wolff, a resident of Lackawanna County who works every day but until now has not been able to save money for her future as an individual with a disability. From the beginning, the hard work of these families who want to save for their loved ones’ long term care has propelled the ABLE Act forward. We believe that individuals across this country with disabilities have a lot of ability.

Last Friday, the President signed the ABLE Act in to law. Now countless families and individuals can have the tools they need to live a full life and have a bright future.